SLIPPERY ROCK - There was no hiding this game plan.

Slippery Rock University took the opening kickoff Saturday night and used 15 plays to eat 7 minutes, 32 seconds off the clock before settling for a 23-yard Ryan Daniel field goal.

"California (Pa.) has a dangerous offense and our plan was to keep that offense on the sidelines as long as possible," SRU coach George Mihalik said.

The plan worked.

The Rock (2-3, 2-0) held the football for nearly 38 minutes and used 54 running plays in upsetting the Vulcans, 28-21, at N. Kerr Thompson Stadium.

California (3-2, 1-1) entered the game ranked fifth in Division II with 288.5 yards rushing per game and 515.8 yards of total offense per game.

SRU's defense limited those yardage totals to 78 and 302, respectively.

"It makes all the difference in the world when you're rested," Rock nose guard Robert Minnie said. "We were fresh the entire game."

SRU's defense recorded four quarterback sacks - the Vulcans had allowed only one sack all year - and limited All-American candidate running back Antoine Bagwell to an inconsequential 124 yards rushing on 19 carries.

Bagwell scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns - with his team trailing 21-7 and 28-13 at the time.

"He's too good a player not to give him the football," California coach John Luckhardt said. "But we only had the ball for 20 plays in the first half and we were trailing by too many points in the second half."

SRU used a pair of Daniel field goals to take a 6-0 lead into the locker room at halftime. The Rock had first-and-goal on both of those possessions, however, and failed to convert a successful on-sides kick or an intercepted pass off a botched punt into points during the first two quarters.

A 12-play, 87-yard drive also went for naught as quarterback Nate Crookshank was intercepted in the end zone on a second-down pass from the 9-yard line.

"I didn't do any yelling at halftime," Mihalik said. "There was no need. Our offensive line was controlling the game. All we had to do was stay the course."

But Vulcans linebacker Lloyd Price intercepted a pass at The Rock 26-yard line early in the third quarter. Three plays later, Joe Ruggiero tossed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Marcellus Garner and California had a 7-6 lead.

Josh Kniess soon took care of that.

The SRU senior and Slippery Rock High graduate returned a punt 56 yards to the California 9-yard line, setting up Corey Manfull's 8-yard scoring run late in the period.

When the Vulcans punted again, Kniess struck again, this time returning the kick 48 yards to the California 22-yard line.

Five plays later, Kniess scored on a 5-yard run and The Rock had a 21-7 lead with 12:57 left in the game.

"We have a young punter and had I asked him to directional kick away from Josh, I would have probably watched a 4-yard punt sail out of bounds," Luckhardt said. "Our kicking game's not where it needs to be and we paid for it."

California wasted little time answering, as it marched 66 yards in just six plays. Bagwell's 12-yard scoring run was followed by a blocked PAT.

Leading by eight, SRU drove 62 yards in 10 plays, the lone pass being a 14-yard completion to Manfull on a third-and-10 play.

The drive used 5:52 off the clock and ended with a 16-yard Kniess touchdown run with 4:52 remaining.

"That was the drive of the game in my mind," Mihalik said. "Our offensive line took over, even with a starter out."

Right tackle Dave Mulvihill suffered an injured ankle in the first half.

Kniess had 27 carries for 107 yards and four punt returns for 160 yards in being named PSAC West Offensive Player of the Week. Manfull added 20 carries for 91 yards.

The Rock rushed for 224 yards against a defense that hadn't allowed more than 91 yards rushing to any opponent.

"That was all the O-line," Kniess said. "Those guys worked hard all week, came out prepared and did the job."

Manfull agreed.

"They kept us on the field … and we were both out there quite a bit," he said.

Notes:

SRU travels to Indiana (Pa.,) for a 2 p.m. kickoff Saturday. … Jared Palmer and Clifford Simon had interceptions for The Rock. … Minnie, Clinton Forsha, Jerome Whiting, Corey Lacek and Seth Randall had quarterback sacks.